ABSTRACT
Difficult people are, well, they are difficult. They are difficult to deal with, and they make things difficult for the people around them. In the case of the behavior analysis consultant, a difficult person is someone who slows down or derails our attempt to effectively implement our behavior-change agenda. Our behavior-change agenda can range from an individual client behavior program to the massive overhaul of a large corporation. Difficult people have a wide variety of behaviors and responses that make them difficult. The nature of the work relationship professional behavior analysts have with the difficult individual or where the person is on the organizational chart has a great deal to do with how professional behavior analysts will approach this problem. Difficult people in the workplace are found at all levels, and it is important for the behavior analyst consultant to be able to deal with coworkers ranging from volunteers all the way up to the CEO.
